Inventory of estate
March 1, 2012 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Jan Wilking
Dear Sir or Madam,
My husband has passed away. We have 3 children together, and my husband has one child from a previous relationship. We have a joint will, a Berlin will, which names me as the sole heir. However, I have received a request from the probate court to fill out a questionnaire regarding the value of the estate. Why do I need to do this if I am the sole heir?
How should I estimate the value of the movable property? For example, is a table worth 20 euros for 20 years? Or 2 wardrobes worth 10 euros each for 40 years? 10 t-shirts worth 3 euros each...? I am afraid of forgetting something, as there is a mention of penalties for incomplete information.
The letter also mentions that the information from the valuation report is used to calculate fees according to the fee schedule. What fees are these for?
I am unable to determine the exact account balances on the day of death. Especially in the securities account, there are no daily sums recorded. In other words, I cannot determine the value of the account on the day of death now.
There is a will notarized by a notary and deposited with the court (Berlin will).
Thank you in advance for your response.
Sincerely,
Christine Kirchhof
Dear inquirer,
I am happy to answer your inquiry taking into account the circumstances you have described and your contribution as follows:
The estate inventory primarily serves the court to determine the costs to be incurred in the certificate of inheritance procedure, as these costs depend on the value of the estate.
If it is not special household goods, one could say that it is household goods without value. Although one could assume a market value of, for example, 10.00 EUR, such a value will likely not be realized. Therefore, it is quite legitimate to indicate the value of, for example, 20-year-old furniture as 0.00 EUR.
Regarding securities, the market value on the day of death must be stated. You should inquire about this at the bank. They will be able to inform you of the value on the day of death.
If you submit an estate inventory to the probate court: Be sure to make a copy of it! Because the known value of the estate may change over time: money or valuables are discovered, some valuables are worth less than assumed, additional (final) payments are necessary, etc. So it is good to keep the different (knowledge) statuses printed out and clearly marked with the respective date.
I hope to have provided you with a helpful initial orientation. If you have any uncertainties, please use the free follow-up function.
Please note that I cannot give you a conclusive advice here within the scope of an initial consultation without knowledge of all circumstances. If you wish for a conclusive assessment of the situation, I recommend contacting a lawyer and discussing the situation with them after reviewing all documents.
Best regards
